(NaturalNews) Sometimes all it takes is a single individual to instigate positive change. The Rolla Daily News (RDN) in Rolla, Mo., reports that after one local resident gave a three-minute presentation about the dangers of fluoride at a recent city council meeting, two city council members expressed their support for the removal of fluoride from the city's water supply.

Though an official decision on the matter has not yet been reached, George Howell, who lives just outside of Rolla, got the ball rolling when he explained to Rolla's city council members that fluoride chemicals block the body's absorption of iodine. As a result, he explained, many people are suffering from iodine deficiency, which causes thyroid and other health problems.

Rolla's Ward Three Council, Gary Hicks, and Fifth Ward Councilwoman, Carrolyn Bolin, reportedly both said they would support eliminating fluoride from the water supply. If Howell, Hicks, and Bolin can now convince at least five other members of the 12-member council that water fluoridation is a dangerous form of forced medication, then the city will be well on its way to becoming fluoride-free.

Numerous towns and cities across North America have either reconsidered or eliminated the addition of fluoride to their water supplies in recent days. Not only does it cost thousands of dollars a year to artificially fluoridate water, but the supposed science behind the practice is questionable at best.

Myriad studies have found that ingestion of and exposure to fluoride chemicals in water is linked to health problems like dental fluorosis, allergies, kidney disease, cognitive disorders, pineal gland damage, thyroid dysfunction, bone disease and fractures, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, and even tooth decay (http://www.fluoridealert.org/fluoride-danger...).

A study published earlier this year in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Langmuir found that even topical fluoride applications at the dentist do not necessarily even help prevent tooth decay, as is popularly believed. The so-called "protective layer" created by fluoride was found to be 100 times thinner than previously believed, which renders it essentially useless (http://www.naturalnews.com/031602_fluoride_t...).

Whether or not you live in the Rolla area, you can kindly urge the other members to support a measure to remove fluoride from the city's water supply by visiting the following link. Remember to be respectful and courteous when sharing your thoughts: http://www.rollacity.org/admin/council.shtml